This invention relates generally to anchoring systems for netted poolside water sport game pieces and, more particularly, to a netted game piece such as a volleyball net or basketball goal mounted to a rigid support member that is specifically constructed and sized for receipt in a built-in adjustable anchor installed flush with the deck of a pool.
As swimming pools have become more popularly used for netted water sports such as volleyball, basketball and water polo, the need for an improved anchoring system has developed for supporting the volleyball and water polo nets and basketball goals from the deck of the pool. In many cases, near constant depth activity pools dedicated to netted water sports have replaced the traditional shallow end/diving end pools for new family dwellings. As such, greater demand has been placed for a poolside netted water sport game piece and anchoring system that can resist the rigors of near constant use, rather than the mere occasional use as was previously the case.
Present support systems, such as that disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,093, employ an adjustable anchor embedded in concrete which is typically deeper than the concrete making up the surrounding sidewalk or deck. Although such an anchor provides a rigid support for an installed basketball goal as disclosed, the anchor is nevertheless difficult to install and, because it is raised from the concrete to provide access to the adjusting means, also poses an obstruction to poolside traffic when the basketball goal is removed.
Simple flush mounted plastic tubing is known for use as a poolside anchor; however, the tubing does not include means for clamping to and/or adjusting the netted game piece relative to the anchor. As a result, the outer diameter of the game piece support pole must be sized very near to the inner diameter of the anchor tubing to provide a rigid support for the netted game piece. However, it is difficult to find such a close fitting relationship among the limited standard sizes of plastic and metal tubing readily available. As such, specially sized and matched tubing is required to provide a rigid support system for the netted game piece, further increasing the cost and difficulty of its installation as well as detracting from its interchangability with other anchors and/or netted game pieces.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved poolside netted water sport game piece and anchoring system that overcomes the above-noted deficiencies and meets the rigorous demands imposed by water sport activity pools. Preferably, the anchoring system should be flush mounted and include clamping means, as well as be sized having a common diameter to promote interchangability with other game pieces. Further, it is also desirable that the netted game piece be specifically sized for use with existing adjustable flush-mounted anchors presently used to support non-netted pool accessories such as ladders, lane markers and the like.